The High Line is property of the City of New York and under the jurisdiction of the Department of Parks & Recreation.

It is managed in partnership with Friends of the High Line.

PHOTOS: Play With Your Food

By Erika HarveyOctober 22, 2012

Fany Gerson, Chef/Owner of LaNewyorkina, led two sessions of Play With Your Food, creating healthy fruit parfaits and guacamole at an impromptu kitchen at the Seating Steps, on the High Line at West 22nd Street. Photo by Rowa Lee

Over the course of September, our High Line Food vendors lent their talents to help us teach little ones about healthy eating during Play With Your Food, a free weekly drop-in program. Chefs from People’s Pops, LaNewyorkina, and Terroir participated, working with kids to craft culinary creations using fresh foods.

People’s Pops co-owner David Carrell looks on as a young participant squeezes a fresh lemon for her lemon ice. Photo by Rowa Lee

People’s Pops is known for its fresh shaved ice and this Play With Your Food program was no different. David demonstrated the method while shaving fresh ice for the group. Photos by Rowa Lee

A young participant employs some muscle power to get the last bit of juice out of the lemon. Photo by Rowa Lee

As any good food program should, Play With Your Food culminates with participants enjoying their delicious creations. Photo by Rowa Lee

For the second session of Play With Your Food, Fany Gerson Chef/Owner of La Newyorkina, created yogurt parfaits featuring fresh fruit and local honey to tie in with Honey Day at the High Line. Photos by Rowa Lee

Fany quizzes the participants about the ingredients as she introduces the recipe. Photo by Rowa Lee

All the participants lent a hand to prepare fruit for the parfaits. Photo by Rowa Lee

Each child layered their parfait with yogurt and fruit for a unique creation. Photo by Rowa Lee

Fany Gerson, Chef/Owner of LaNewyorkina, returned for our third session of Play With Your Food to make guacamole. The young participants worked with fresh avocadoes, cilantro, tomatoes, and limes to create their own recipe. Photos by Rowa Lee

The young participants scooped out avocadoes and prepped fresh ingredients for the guacamole. Photo by Rowa Lee

The kids used a traditional molcajete, or mortar and pestle carved from volcanic rock, to crush the avocados. Photo by Rowa Lee

The result was a delicious guacamole that kids enjoyed with tortilla chips. Photos by Rowa Lee

For the last session of Play With Your Food, Terroir at The Porch created strawberry shortcakes with the kids. Pictured here is Chef John Lomanto, who showed young participants how to create their own whipped cream by shaking up fresh cream. Photo by Rowa Lee

Manager of Education, Teen & Family Programs Emily Pinkowitz organizes High Line Kids programs and works with vendors to lead Play With Your Food programs. Here she lifts the lid of a container to show the finished whipped cream that kids had created. Photo by Rowa Lee

Young participants selected and sliced the fruit for their strawberry shortcakes. Photo by Rowa Lee

The hard work paid off – each participant had their own delicious strawberry shortcake to enjoy. Photos by Rowa Lee

No High Line Kids program would be complete without the Children’s Workyard Kit, designed by Cas Holman. At each session of Play With Your Food, this mobile kit of custom-designed wood planks, nuts, and bolts, designed specifically for play on the High Line, allowed young builders to create one-of-a-kind vehicles, forts, creatures, structures, and machines.

With a hard hat and safety goggles, this young visitor is ready to build. Photo by Rowa Lee

The Children’s Workyard Kit inspires creativity and exploration. Dressing the part is only half the fun. Photos by Rowa Lee